NEEDLESS TO SAY, I spent a restless night. Getting to sleep was tough enough, but waking up to the presence of a large, unfamiliar security guard in the room was too much. The least Lisa could have done was choose a guard who was as attractive as she was. Of course, I wasn’t serious, but lack of sleep had left me in a bad mood.
I joined Clovis and Stella for breakfast. The food was a little fancy for my taste—I had no use for “poached eggs served over arugula with yogurt and chili oil.” But the coffee was hot, and I managed to talk the waiter into pancakes with sausage, so my mood improved.
Over a second cup of coffee, I told them what had happened last night and how Lisa had reacted.
“She’s probably right,” Clovis said. “The intruders left your computer intact as a message. ‘We can get to you whenever we want, and we don’t need your computer to access every bit of information you have.’ Jack, this must be the computer companies playing mind games.”
“That’s the most logical conclusion. I just can’t believe reputable lawyers would stoop so low. I’ll ask Maggie to call them the first thing this morning. It’s amazing what people will admit to a woman with a British accent. Stella, is there any way to protect our information?”
“I’ve cleared the decks and put my other clients on hold until I find a solution, except for Walter. He’s in constant fear that the company will become a target of someone seeking ransomware. He’s glad I’m in town,” she answered.
Clovis added, “Lisa has asked Martin to join us this morning to discuss everyone’s security. We can use his expertise. I’ll alert Royce. I want to make sure Beth and Jeff are safe.”
“Right. You know, it occurs to me that we’ve fallen into their trap. We’re so focused on security we’ve neglected our primary focus—defending David Ruple. By the way, when you meet with Lisa—no offense to last night’s fellow, but can you ask for a better-looking guard?” I grinned.
“Now, whose mind is distracted? You should be ashamed.” Stella replied sternly.
I noticed Mike standing at the hostess desk, waiting to escort us to the office. He wasn’t happy when I suggested we walk. But it was a beautiful morning, and I think better strolling the streets of DC, rather than dodging cars and bike couriers.
Maggie already had coffee brewing and her tea kettle was whistling. As a welcome back treat, she had ordered muffins and pastries from her favorite Georgetown bakery. Clovis and I munched happily while Maggie and Stella caught up. We had decided to split into two groups. Brian, Maggie, Stella, and I remained in the conference room, while Clovis, Martin, Lisa, and Big Mike gathered in the spare office to talk security. We divided the croissants as well.
Maggie began, “Jack, you and I are scheduled to meet with the lawyers for the computer companies at eleven this morning at the Dooley law firm.”
“I thought Romatowski was taking the lead.” I said with a frown. “I was just about to ask you to call them about what happened last night.”
Brian answered, “When I called a paralegal I know at Romatowski to schedule the meeting, she said they had withdrawn their representation. She and I are old friends, and after much cajoling she told me the partners had held a very hush-hush, closed-door meeting a few days ago. She didn’t know what was discussed, but after the meeting Pete told her to package up all the files and send them to the Dooley firm.”
“I bet they got wind of what their clients were up to and wanted nothing to do with them or the representation,” I mused. “It would mean a huge financial hit to the firm, but you can’t buy integrity. Good for them.”
Brian asked, “Do you want me to try to find out more?”
“No. The files are already out the door, and they won’t gossip about it. Not to you or anyone else. Who’s the lead lawyer from Dooley?”
Maggie answered, “That’s the bad news. It’s Jordyn Duarte.”
“Damn,” I mumbled. Jordyn was one of the country’s most successful trial lawyers, but no one enjoyed working for her or against her. Her nickname was “The Ice Queen,” and her staff lived in constant fear of her explosions. Associates assigned to her had zero social life and seldom lasted more than a few months. The only time she was charming was with a trial judge, when butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. Opposing counsel quickly learned that she took no prisoners: make even the tiniest procedural mistake and she would seek sanctions and report the offender to the Bar’s ethics committee. I should have expected her to be the lead in a case of this magnitude. I had yet to face her in court, but her reputation was formidable.
“Well, okay. Now at least we know who we’re up against. What else, Maggie?”
“Take your pick: the meeting with Jordyn, your appointment with the client, or the latest from Gloria Ruple? We can wait a while to discuss the call Walter received, or what you are going to tell Red this afternoon.”
“I have a feeling I need to hear it all. Let me get another cup of coffee, and a blueberry muffin, and I promise you’ll have my total attention, no interruptions.”
I left before she could object. I didn’t need another muffin nearly as much as I needed a few minutes to recover from the Jordyn Duarte news. I fussed with the coffee and returned with the remainder of the muffins and pastries.
Maggie refused my offerings and resumed her recital of bad news.
“The Duarte meeting is at the Dooley firm because it’s one of the few DC firms with a conference room large enough to hold all the lawyers who’ve demanded to attend. Jordyn is the lead, but every client wants their own counsel in attendance.”
I said, “They call a flock of crows a murder. I wonder what the term is for a room full of lawyers?”
That brought a smile even to Maggie’s face.
She continued, “The good news is the U.S. Attorney’s office has no objection to you meeting with David. They scheduled the meeting for two o’clock this afternoon.”
“Well, that’s interesting—a bit of a puzzle. I felt sure they would invoke ‘national security’ and try to limit access.”
“It’s certainly unexpected. They also said we could read the indictment after you sign a confidentiality agreement. They’re supposed to email it over this morning. They would like to meet with you late this afternoon to talk about a convenient time to hold the arraignment. They even mentioned discussing bail terms this afternoon.” Maggie continued.
“Really? I thought we’d have to do battle on every single item. This news is almost too good to be true.”
Maggie gave me a knowing smile. “Well, there is one problem.”
“I knew it. How bad is it?” I asked, wondering how much worse it could get.
“That depends on your point of view. Gloria has engaged a lawyer to represent David. Apparently, she wasn’t happy after your meeting with her at the Willard. Not only did she call Royce to complain, but she also called her friend at Williams and Connelly. He told her his firm had a conflict but did give her a recommendation. She had dinner with the lawyer last night and called early this morning to let me know that you’ve been fired. Both the Cooley firm and the U.S. Attorney received similar calls this morning.”
I smiled. “That’s not the end of the world. The ultimate call on attorney representation is David’s. I’m getting tired of being followed, and the threats on my life are getting old. If David’s happy with Gloria’s choice, we can politely bow out. I’ll make it right with Thibodeaux. Who is the lucky lawyer?” My day had suddenly gotten a whole lot better.
Maggie answered, “That’s the bad news. Duke Madigan.”
It took a long minute to absorb the shock. Duke Madigan wasn’t just a piece of work; he was a terrible lawyer. He had been disciplined by the DC bar at least half a dozen times. He always wore a buckskin coat and cowboy hat in court and chased after every camera and talk show host in town. I had no doubt he had charmed Gloria, but he was the last lawyer you’d want if you were in real trouble.
“Boy, Maggie, you sure know how to turn good news into bad, and in a hurry!” I sighed. “I feel a headache coming on.”
“Now you know why the Dooley firm and the U.S. Attorney are suddenly cooperative,” she said. “You’re a formidable opponent, but you would never attempt to try this case in the press and the talk shows. Madigan has already called this morning. He wants to come by before his press conference to arrange for an ‘orderly transition’—his very words.”
“He’s holding a press conference before he’s even met his client?”
The man’s conceit knew no limits.
“I told him your schedule was very busy, that I doubted you’d have the time to meet with him.”
“I really wouldn’t mind turning this matter over to another attorney, but I can’t in good conscience let David engage this jerk without at least a warning. Time to call Royce,” I sighed.
Maggie interrupted, “Before you dig yourself a deeper hole, you promised to listen. There’s more.”
“More?” I asked. What else could there be?
“I was followed home last night. And Walter got a call yesterday suggesting that he encourage us to not take the case. Of course, the caller may be having second thoughts now that Gloria has intervened. Red got a similar call, but his came from the Pentagon. He said not to worry, that you should represent ‘whomever you damn well please.’ But he did call. When you get a minute, you might return the call. Apparently, Lucy was approached as well.”
Lucy Robinson is the junior senator from Arkansas and is married to Red Shaw. I’ve known Lucy since college; we’ve had a sort-of love-hate relationship over the years. It didn’t help that my best friend murdered her first husband, or that I defended him in court, but that’s another story.
“You know I promised Walter that I wouldn’t involve you in another dangerous case. Brian and I can take it from here.”
Maggie scowled. “I’ll make the decision about if or when I should I walk away. I’m okay and so is Walter, at least for now. Besides, if Gloria has her way, you and I will be out of work by this afternoon, with plenty of time to spare.”
“Anything else? Any more surprises?” I asked, not sure how much more I could stand.
“I think you have quite enough on your plate,” she answered.
“Okay,” I took a deep breath. “First, I’ll call Louisiana. They warned me that Gloria would be a pain, but if she has her way, David could be looking at a train wreck. I’ve never known Duke to end up with a satisfied client. He may be a dandy on the talk shows, but his clients end up breaking rocks. Let me see if Royce and Tom have any suggestions.
“Brian, please go over the confidentiality agreement with a fine tooth. I’d like to be able to sign it, but I don’t want to give away the farm. Maggie, ask Stella to do her best to keep our systems secure. But more importantly, she needs to continue to scour the civil complaint. I’m counting on her to figure out why David’s software has everyone so riled up.”
Stella looked up from her computer. “While Maggie’s been giving you the bad news, I’ve been scanning for bugs and malware. Something very sophisticated has infected your systems. The good news is that I don’t think anyone can listen to your conversations, but I suspect any document you review online is compromised. I’ll do my best to figure it all out, but it may take a little longer than usual.”
“Thanks, Stella. I bet that’s why they, whoever they are, left my laptop in the condo last night. They can already download anything they like, and probably already have. Fortunately, there’s nothing on that laptop that pertains to this case. We haven’t had time to scan even Lula’s information yet. You sure my phone calls are safe?”
“As sure as I can be. But I’m…”
“That’s good enough for me.” I said with a smile.
In fact, none of us had ever heard the slightest trace of doubt from Stella before now. It was more than a little unnerving.
“Okay,” I said after a minute’s silence. “Let’s move on. We only have an hour before we’re supposed to be at the Dooley firm. Maggie, let Mike know we need to leave a little before eleven. Brian, why don’t you come with us. The other side will bring an entire ‘murder’ of lawyers, so we might as well and show up in full force. Besides, you’ve never met the ‘Ice Queen.’ You’re in for a real treat.”